At last, it was time for her return to High Reaches Weyr. S'ten emerged from between just before the midday meal in Igen for a personal beckoning. G'ny knew the Weyr must have risen only recently. She sensed a change in his usually transparent, slightly reckless demeanor. It was the polished composition she had only heard him afford strangers, such as when he first met the Holders of Pars.
"The eggs have grown quire hard and the Weyrwoman says to bring as much of the fruits as you can in time for the banquet after the imminent Hatching." S'ten relayed.
"Ok, thanks for letting me know. Will you stay for some klah? Or, we are just about to set out the midday meal." G'ny invited.
"No, the Weyrwoman needs me back right away. There is so much to plan," S'ten's voice still seemed a little off speaking to his longtime clutchmate. G'ny waved it off as preparation stress for the upcoming ceremony and lingering grief from the passing of the Oldies. S'ten had always been one to help plan large celebrations.
"Ok, I'll head out tomorrow morning and I can't wait to catch up with you in the evening!" G'ny called as S'ten wheeled away with a salute and blinked between. G'ny missed her friend and wondered how much had changed at High Reaches in her absence.
G'ny bid her new friends farewell. Although the future was uncertain at this point – it was unknown what the state of the Weyr would be or if Allika would send her back, she knew she would see them again. Especially tough was the sendoff to her weyrmate. The two had become incredibly comfortable with each other and it would be strange to not wake up next to the other each morning. Although they would be only a short trip between away, both riders knew how busy a dragonrider's lifestyle could keep each other and the time difference between the Weyrs did not help.
Although she started close to dawn, the long, heavily laden journey back to High Reaches culminated only shortly before nightfall, and that was with the aid Red Star traveling at their backs. Saleneth alerted Lawana to their arrival while most riders relaxed in the Dining Hall over the evening meal. Lawana quickly and quietly greeted them and helped ferry supplies into a secluded corner of the supply room. They were almost done when the tall, now round-bellied, figure of Allika came tottering over to where they had been unloading Saleneth in the courtyard.
"What, not going to check these in according to proper protocol?" She leered. "You know, I have need of extra nutrition in my condition," she pressed on, caressing her belly.
"The girl followed all the protocol needed for the good of the Weyr. Everything is properly accounted for in the storeroom for the upcoming feast. In your condition, don't you think you should stay out of the cold?" Lawana came to G'ny's defense in one of her sweetest voices, although the underlying tone was unwavering. The pregnant woman scowled and retreated back inside without further interference.
"Hope you don't have to take such authority on all provisions," G'ny laughed.
"Like you wouldn't believe." The Headwoman replied darkly, cutting G'ny's laughter off abruptly. Sensing that the older woman did not have the stamina to fill her in this evening and feeling the strain of her long journey that day, G'ny bade her friend a good night with a long overdue hug. G'ny was on her way out to the courtyard to meet Saleneth to take the pair up to their Weyr when a shadow suddenly stood in her way.
"The speckled greenrider returns. I hear you like brownriders now. Not too good for us after all?" R'nan's sour breath turned her stomach as his large figure blocked her path.
"You really want to try this? You remember what happened last time you tried to ambush me?"
"Who could forget," he acknowledged, rubbing his chin, "But now the Weyrwoman in charge agrees with me, agrees that you should know your place. Besides, ruddy pipsqueak as she is, your green won't fit in here to save you," he reached out inappropriately, at which G'ny reflexively slapped his hand away in a maneuver she that had been ingrained during her hand-to-hand training. He suddenly groaned and fell to his knees, eyes glazing over. She stood for a minute dumbfounded, as she had struck him in the arm, and certainly not hard enough to warrant this response.
G'ny's vision was briefly taken over by Saleneth's: a bleary, grey-eyed brown suddenly cowered below her. She did not roar to wake the rest of the Weyr, fearing the uncertainty that would follow given the queen's predisposition. Instead, all of her telepathic energy was suddenly focused on making this poor dragon, who had clearly been peacefully dozing away prior to the onslaught, submit to her. No noise, no talons, no backup, just the sheer willpower of a protective dragon who loved her rider. G'ny quickly dodged around her assailant and threw her arms around her beautiful Saleneth as she swooped down into the moonlit courtyard. You'll always be safe as long as I am around, the dragon reassured the girl, eyes fading from orange to blue. G'ny wondered if a green dragon had ever taken on a brown in this way before. Dragons were not known to break color ranks, and it was usually only queens and bronzes that issued such imposing commands as the one G'ny had just witnessed, and rarely to that intensity. You did right, my sister, Mirith's voice chimed in, no need for my rider to get involved. G'ny breathed a sigh of relief at the discretion of the queen dragon, wise beyond her rider's folly. G'ny was glad for the familiarity of her lofty weyr, with its expansive view of the Bowl. It had been largely as she left it. True to her word, Lawana must have arranged for water for her verbena plant, as its foliage was still rigid with vitality.
The dragons started humming the next day, in the early afternoon. The incident of the night prior seemed to have been overlooked in all of the commotion. The last flourishes of color delivered their guests and retired to sunny ledges. The massive door was almost impassable for humans with the dragons clambering over each other for a view into the Hatching Ground. It all somehow seemed more chaotic than G'ny's Hatching, even though this was now her second run through and the process was no longer entirely novel. Although G'ny would have loved to witness the first Hatching for which she could be a spectator, she knew where she was needed. G'ny headed straight to the Kitchens and mechanically got to work. She and Lawana worked in perfect harmony, with many of the other Lower Cavern women trying their best, although clearly fumbling, to pitch in. Locating requested supplies seemed to be the greatest challenge.
"What on Pern has been going on in my absence?"
"You can tell, we're all out of practice."
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying."
Lawana heaved a heavy sigh. "Since the Weyr now revolves around Allika, things must be done when she says they are to be done, according to how she says they are to be done. Initiative is now frowned upon. She almost took Tasla's head off when M'tou judged the girl's bubbly pies to be better than the ones she butchered the making of – burnt the bottoms, she did. Of course, nothing goes quite right, everything tastes a little off, and food is never evenly cooked around here anymore, except for a private stash of pastries I make after she retires for the evening. Those only go so far in restoring morale. It sure is good to have you back for this, girlie. At least you haven't lost your touch."
G'ny was relieved that guests to her Weyr would not be ashamed of the post-Impression spread. Heardbeasts, dressed by G'ny's experienced hands, were roasted to perfection for the occasion. The various fruits G'ny had managed to haul over from Igen were a special hit; even Allika rose her cup of wine to the toast to G'ny's journey over with it, probably because she took credit for assigning the task. Besides, it was not a stretch of the mind to imagine the feast to be in her honor. G'ny spent much of her evening entertaining the visiting Holders. She had become something of a celebrity among Hold women since she was not unlike them at heart, and the few mothers whose sons had been invited, Impressed and would be residing for the foreseeable future in the Weyr with their new partners sought her out especially. She responding to questions from these mothers and caught up with others from Holds for which she had acted as a messenger before she had left for Igen. Most were here out of courtesy, as opposed to participation, as the Search conducted was by no means extensive. G'ny would still be the only female greenrider she knew, as without the promise of a queen, no girls had been encouraged to stand for this Hatching. Of course, with the Oldies gone, G'ny couldn't help but feel the whole atmosphere to be lacking. By the end of the evening, G'ny was thoroughly exhausted. Saleneth, she reached out lazily, would you accompany me up to our weyr? After a moment without reply, G'ny panicked. Saleneth? Saleneth, where are you?! It was a moment before she received a response.
Don't freak out.
Ok, babe, I'll try. Are you okay?
Yes, I think so, come meet me in the Hatching Ground. Her voice was odd.
The Hatching Ground? G'ny thought. What would Saleneth be doing there? G'ny hadn't been to the area all day, perhaps something important had happened. Had it not been cleaned up yet? Were there still shards and bloody bits to clear? Was a seemingly empty egg missed by the crowd, only to hatch now with a dragonet stumbling around alone? As it was, two of Mirith's fourteen eggs had not hatched, she heard. It was a most disappointing debut. Then G'ny's theories turned darker. Was Saleneth catching cold? G'ny had read about the Dragon Plague in her studies of the Igen records, had heard the Harper tales about the tragic Lorana since she was a child. Please let this not be happening to her.
G'ny could not process the scene before her at first when she arrived on the warm sands. There was Saleneth, reclined on the Hatching Sands. Close to her side were not shells of eggs hatched that day, but newly laid, intact eggs. Saleneth had clutched. Their heavily laden journey was not only with the fruits of Igen, but also those of Saleneth's womb. G'ny, almost fainting, sunk to her knees. How? And why did you not tell me?
I wasn't sure what was going on.
And you've chewed firestone!
Yes, but only that once, and it was tough to swallow, remember? I didn't think it possible, but having ingested so little I must have healed?
G'ny went over to her partner, hugged her neck, slumped down to lean against her side next to the edge of the eggs, stroking Saleneth's flank and on occasion the leathery exterior of an egg, not believing it was real. What do we do?
I don't know, but they might. Don't worry, I was discrete.
One by one, three individuals appeared at the hallway leading into the Hatching Grounds from the kitchen and rushed in when confronted to the sight before them. First T'tor, then M'tou, then Lawana. A large figure, still golden in the dim light approached from the great doors leading to the Bowl. I'm here too. I'll do whatever necessary, including keeping this secret from Allika as long as we might need it. I'm also trying to contact Azirith, although she seems particularly hard to reach, the now familiar voice of Mirith assured her.
Suddenly, Mirith shuffled aside. Azirith had appeared in the courtyard and Moura, looking more vibrant than ever, strode into the Hatching Grounds. G'ny noticed that she could hardly even see the scar that disfigured her arm on bad days.
"I know what we will do." Moura announced confidently, true to her role as Weyrwoman. "It's a shame this Weyr has gotten to the state it's in, and I can't help but feel that part of it has been my own inattention. Gendine of High Reaches, stand strong by this miraculous event. It is a sign that Allika's self-proclaimed reign as Weyrwoman is not as uncontested as she might think. I think Azirith has one more mating flight in her, we'll use that one as the determinant of who the next queen to rise is, and as unpredictable I know Azirith has been in the past," her voice caught and she paused ever so slightly, "I really think that it's coming up. And yes, you heard that right. You and Saleneth are queen and queenrider in your own right. Although I never felt I could tell you before and can find no reference of a precedent for it in the Records, I've wondered if those markings throughout her body are her innate gold coming through. We'll make the announcement tomorrow at the morning meal and turn this all around." Azirith rumbled in agreement behind her.
"For Pern and for the High Reaches!" The gathered group of five proclaimed, each raising a fist in the air.